March 1, 2000
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Health/Education
Annual food drive in schools gains importance as hunger grows
Start
v e g e ta b le
transplants
indoors now
COM RIBLI EDS IOH\
CONTRIBUTED STORY
Start flexing your green thumbs if
your 1 ikely to grow your own veggies
and flowers from seed this year.
Gardeners who grow their own plants
from seeds have a much wider choice
o f varieties.
Some o f the earliest plants to go out
into the garden are members o f the
cabbage family, including broccoli,
b ru sse ls sp ro u ts, cab b ag e and
cauliflower. They grow to transplant
size in fourto six weeks. Seeds started
in mid-March should be ready forthe
g a rd e n by M ay 1, said R oss
Penhallegon, horticulture agent for
th e O reg o n S ta te U n iv e rsity
Extension Service.
Tom ato, pepper and eggplant
require six to eight weeks from seeding
to transplanting. To transplant them
in mid-May, start the seeds indoors
the last half o f March.
C an talo u p e, w aterm elo n and
pum pkins develop transplants in
about four weeks. Start melons and
pumpkins from seek planted into
individual containers in early April
for transplanting in May. Or wait and
plant m elon and pumpkin seeds
directly into the garden when the soil
is w arm en o u g h . M elo n s and
'p u m p k in s do not w ith sta n d
tra n sp la n tin g as w ell as o th er
vegetables and the harvest time is
virtually the same with direct seeding.
Plant seeds for transplants in a
homemade mix containing equal parts
o f sand, loam and peat moss, or
purchase com m ercial potting or
rooting mediums that are soil-less
and sterile such as mixtures o f perlite,
vermiculite and organic materials. The
mix needs to be well drained. If your
seeds are saved from previous years,
test them for germination before you
do all the work o f planting.
Place seeds in a damp paper towel
and put them in a warm place, such as
on top o f your water heater. If less
than half the seeds germinate after a
few days, you might consider buying
fresher seeds.
Fill the desired container with a
lightly moistened soil mix. A four-
inch flower pot may be seeded with 18
to 20 seeds. Cover the seeds with
one-quarter inch o f soil. Then label
the pot and place it in a plastic bag.
Tie the bag so moisture does not
escape. No further watering is needed
until the seedlings appear.
Keep the germinating seeds at room
temperature (68-75 degrees). As soon
as plants emerge, remove the bag and
expose the plants to maximum light.
Cabbage germinates in a couple o f
days. Tomatoes may take four to six
days and peppers 10 to 14 days.
After germination, keep seedling
pots at lower temperatures (55 degrees
at night, 65-70 degrees during the
day). Unless the soil mix was fertilized
previously, weekly applications o f a
soluble plant food are recommended.
When seedlings get their first true
leaf, it’s tim e to separate them.
Carefully loosen the soil around the
roots with a dull knife blade. Place
each plant in a three-inch pot, or
space six to eight plants in a larger
plastic or pressed paper container.
Uniform watering and fertilizing and
at least 12 hours o f sunlight daily will
produce a stocky transplant with
good production potential. About 10
days before transplanting to the
garden, expose the plants to cooler
temperatures and slightly less water.
Leave the starts out al 1 night the week
before transplanting. Avoid frosty
periods.
“If you’ve done everything right,
the final product is a stocky transplant
six to eight inches high with a healthy
dark green color,” said Penhallegon.
Three days before transplanting,
water well with a complete soluble
fertilizer. When setting transplants in
the garden, use plenty o f water around
the roots to be sure they have good
contact with the soil.
Project Second Wind, March 6-19,
2000 expected to raise more than
100,000 pounds of food
Portland emergency food agencies
are reporting increases o f 10 to 50
percent in the number o f people they
serve, and some have had to cut back
on the amount o f food in food boxes
to make sure they can feed all who
ask.
More working families, women and
children are seeking aid, say agency
staff.
These pantries receive a large portion
o f the food they distribute from
O reg o n Food B ank; a central
clearinghouse, w hich distributes
donated food to agencies throughout
the state.
Project Second Wind, held in all
Portland Public Schools March 6-10
and in Washington County schools
February 28-March 10, will help
restock the food bank’s stores o f
healthy non-perishable foods for
distribution to Portland agencies.
“For 29 years, w e’ve counted on
Project Second Wind to provide the
first m ajor wave o f com m unity
support each year,” says Oregon
Food Bank Executive Director Rachel
Bristol
“The event is particularly important
right now, as high demand prevented
most food pantries from keeping a
hold-over supply o f food from
holiday drives. They are running on
em pty.” Oregon Food Bank's Most
W anted Foods include canned meats
and meals like chicken, tuna soups,
stews and chili; boxed rice and pasta
meals; canned fruits and vegetables;
powered milk; peanut butter; and
pasta, rice and beans o f all kinds.
It is asked that no glass, perishable,
or home processed foods be sent to
them.
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